GBE brokers

GBE brokers is the trading brand of GBE brokers Ltd., a Cypriot investment firm registered with the Cyprus Department of Registrar of Companies as GBE BROKERS LTD under company number HE 324205 since 5 August 2013. The firm has operated as a broker since 2014, has its registered office at Archiepiskopou Makariou III, 82, 1st floor, Mesa Geitonia, 4003 Limassol, and runs its main commercial operation from a branch at Große Elbstraße 145b in Hamburg, with a further representative office in Business Bay, Dubai.

Regulation. The company states on its own regulation page that it is authorised by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission as a Cyprus Investment Firm under licence number 240/14, and that its Hamburg branch is registered with Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority under BaFin-ID 10148129. The German registration is a branch notification for a passported EU firm, not a second trading licence. The site also states client cover through the Cypriot Investor Compensation Fund of up to 20,000 EUR, plus a private excess-of-loss policy quoted at up to 300,000 EUR per client. WIKILIX has confirmed the operating company on the Cypriot companies register but has not independently confirmed the licence with the regulator itself, so readers should check the licence number directly before funding an account.

What they offer. More than 1,000 CFD instruments across forex, indices, shares, commodities, futures, metals and crypto, on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradingView, with web, desktop and mobile access. Three live tiers are published: GBE Classic from 1,000 EUR, GBE Plus from 10,000 EUR and GBE VIP from 100,000 EUR. Commission-bearing forex symbols start from 0.0 pips at 6.50 EUR, 6.00 EUR or 5.50 EUR per lot depending on tier; the commission-free symbols start from 0.8 pips on EURUSD. Indices, shares, commodities and futures carry no commission, and crypto CFDs are charged at 0.06 percent. Retail leverage is capped at 1:30 in line with European rules.

Funding. Deposits and withdrawals run through bank transfer (Raiffeisen Bank International, Sutor Bank and Commerzbank), card payments via Paysafe and PayPal. Bank transfers take one to four business days and carry no deposit fee; SEPA withdrawals in euro are free, other currencies cost 0.15 percent with a minimum charge. Card deposits carry 1.49 percent and are capped at 2,500 EUR; PayPal carries 3.5 percent, is euro-only, restricted to EU residents and capped at 50,000 EUR.

Support. German and English, by phone and email, with the English trading desk quoted as 24/5 and general support 09:00 to 18:00 CET. There is no advertised live chat.

Who it suits, and the caveats. The pricing and the European regulatory framework suit serious German-speaking and European traders who want MetaTrader with an onshore firm. The 1,000 EUR entry minimum is high for a first account, the funding menu is narrow and euro-centric, card and wallet fees are steep compared with the bank route, and 1:30 retail leverage will not suit anyone shopping on leverage alone. There is no swap-free account advertised. As with any CFD provider, most retail accounts lose money.